Dielectric heating apparatus and printing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12269254-B2
Application number	US-202318161251-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2023
Priority date	Jan 31, 2022
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

Provided is a dielectric heating apparatus for heating a first ink and a second ink that adhere to a medium. The first ink contains carbon black, and the second ink does not contain carbon black. The dielectric heating apparatus includes: a first electrode unit as an electrode unit configured to heat the first ink and the second ink, the first electrode unit including a first electrode and a second electrode that face the medium; and a first voltage application unit configured to apply an AC voltage having a frequency of 300 MHz or more and 300 GHz or less to the first electrode and the second electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dielectric heating apparatus for heating a first ink and a second ink that adhere to a medium, the first ink containing carbon black, the second ink not containing carbon black, the dielectric heating apparatus comprising:
a first electrode unit and a second electrode unit as electrode units configured to heat the first ink and the second ink, the first electrode unit including a first electrode and a second electrode that face the medium, and the second electrode unit including a third electrode and a fourth electrode that face the medium;
a first voltage application unit configured to apply an AC voltage having a frequency of 300 MHz or more and 300 GHz or less to the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a second voltage application unit configured to apply an AC voltage having a frequency of 100 KHz or more and less than 300 MHz to the third electrode and the fourth electrode,
wherein the first electrode unit heats the first ink and the second ink after the second electrode unit heats the first ink and the second ink.

2. The dielectric heating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control unit configured to control the first voltage application unit, wherein
the first ink and the second ink are pigment inks containing a resin, and
the control unit controls the first voltage application unit to heat the first ink and the second ink to a temperature of 150° C. or more and 240° C. or less.

3. A printing system comprising:
the dielectric heating apparatus according to claim 1 ;
a discharge unit including a first discharge unit configured to discharge the first ink and cause the first ink to adhere to the medium, and a second discharge unit configured to discharge the second ink and cause the second ink to adhere to the medium; and
a transport unit configured to transport the medium along a transport path, wherein
the electrode units heat the first ink and the second ink downstream of a position in the transport path where the discharge unit causes the first ink and the second ink to adhere to the medium.

4. The printing system according to claim 3 , wherein
the transport unit includes a first transport unit configured to transport the medium in a first section of the transport path, and a second transport unit configured to transport the medium in a second section of the transport path downstream of the first section,
the discharge unit causes the first ink and the second ink to adhere to the medium in the first section, and
the electrode units heat the first ink and the second ink in the second section.

5. The printing system according to claim 4 , wherein
the first section and the second section are separated from each other.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Aizawa Tadashi

Classifications

• H05B6/54

  Electrodes · CPC title

• H05B6/46

  Dielectric heating (H05B6/64 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J11/0021

  using irradiation · CPC title

• B41J11/00242

  Controlling the temperature of the conduction means · CPC title

• H05B6/62 Primary

  Apparatus for specific applications · CPC title